Pressure vessel with shear pin construction

ABSTRACT

A pressure vessel in which a pair of vessel members having meshing projections formed thereon are secured together by means of a plurality of shear pins disposed along the interface between the adjoining projections.

United States Patent Inventor Svend M. Jorgensen Tenafly, NJ. Appl. No. 841,713 Filed July 15, 1969 Patented Aug. 24, 1971 Assignee Foster Wheeler Corporation Livingston, NJ.

PRESSURE VESSEL WITH SHEAR PIN CONSTRUCTION 14 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 292/256, 220/46, 287/53 SS Int. Cl. 865d 45/91}, R65 d 5 3/00 Field of Search 292/256;

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,398,853 8/1968 Jorgensen.... 220/55 3,451,585 6/1969 Jorgensen.... 220/46 3,464,581 9/1969 Polcer 220/46 Primary Examiner-James A. Leppink Assistant ExaminerEdward J. McCarthy Attorneys-John Ev Wilson, John Maier, Ill and Marvin A.

Naigur ABSTRACT: A pressure vessel in which a pair of vessel memnets having meshing projections formed thereon are secured together by means of a plurality of shear pins disposed along the interface between the adjoining projections.

PATENTEU AUG24 I971 sum 1 OF 3 INVIiN'l'OR.

SVEND M. JORGENSEN PATENTEUAUBMISYI 360L436 sum 3 UF 3 INVEN'IUR.

SVE/VD M JORGE/VSE/V PRESSURE VESSEL WITH SHEAR PIN CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a pressure vessel, and, more particularly, to a pressure vessel in which two adjoining vessel components are fixed together in an improved manner.

In process plants and other environments which require high pressure vessels, many of these vessels, such as reactors, converters, etc., require full size end openings having closures which are removable to permit insertion and withdrawal of external material, equipment, etc. Also, these vessels are often of a size and weight which require them to be constructed of two or more shell members.

Several proposals have been made to connect the closures to the vessels and the shell members to each other. One of the most conventional arrangements utilizes a bolted flange unit with stud bolts attached to a flange at the end of a vessel shell. However, the disadvantages of these type arrangements are numerous. For example, the cost is disproportionally large compared with the total vessel cost, the handling of these units require special equipment, and the size of the complete vessel is unmanageable. Furthermore, the assembling and disassembling of the units is cumbersome and time consuming, as well as being impractical and uneconomical beyond certain limits of size and/or pressure.

Shear block and breech designs have also been suggested, but their use is restricted due to high rotary and bending moments which occur with respect to a groove which is machined in a counterbore formed in one of the units. In order to attempt to overcome these moments, cooperating threads have been provided on the two units. However, in fairly large size vessels, severe machining difficulties are encountered in the threading due to the fact that the male and female threads are threaded from different type machines, and the small differences in thread pitch add up rapidly over a number of threads. This could result in most of the load being carried on a very few threads, thus causing very high stress concentratron.

It was also suggested to provide meshing projections on each of the units, and utilize a plurality of axially extending threaded shear members located in the interface between the meshing projections. However, in the use of a multilayer vessel, the axially extending shear members were incapable of distributing the load across the entire vessel wall. Also, this arrangement was relatively expensive in material and cost, and, just as important, required a relatively long time to assemble and remove the shear members from the cylinder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pressure vessel in which the load from the internal pressure is evenly distributed across the vessel wall.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pressure vessel in which two adjoining pressure components may be quickly assembled and disassembled.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a pressure vessel of the above type which is inexpensive in manufacturing and assembly costs.

Briefly summarized, the pressure vessel of the present invention comprises a first vessel portion having at least one open end, a second vessel portion engaging said first vessel portion at said open end, a plurality of projections extending from each of said vessel portions, the projecting members of said first vessel portion engaging the projecting members of said second vessel portion to define a plurality of interfaces between the adjacent projecting portions, and at least one radially extending smooth surfaced shear pin disposed along each of said interfaces.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings for a better understanding of the nature and objects of the pressure vessel of the present invention, which drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the objects of the invention and its principles, and are not to be construed as restrictions or limitations on its scope. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of a disassembled pressure vessel according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal cross-sectional view depicting the vessel of FIG. 1 in its assembled condition;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the assembled pressure vessel of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views similar to FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively, but depicting another embodiment of the pressure vessel of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but depicting still another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view, depicting the pressure vessel of FIG. 7 in its assembled condition; and

FIG. 9 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring specifically to the embodiment of FIGS. l-4, and in particular to FIG. 1, the reference numeral 10 refers to the upper portion of a cylindrical vessel which is adapted to receive a closure plug 12 to close the vessel.

A plurality of axially extending projections 14 extend from the upper portion of the vessel 10 and are adapted to cooperate with a plurality of radially extending projections 16 formed in the outer circumference of the closure plug 12 so that when the latter is inserted in the upper portion of the vessel, the respective fingers will mesh, as shown in FIG. 2.

In this meshing position, an interface 18 is defined between each pair of adjoining fingers l4 and 16, and, as will be apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of radially extending, smooth surfaced shear pins 20 are disposed in corresponding bores which are drilled along the interfaces 18 after insertion of the plug 12. The pins 20 are spaced to extend for substantially the entire axial portion of the meshing projections, and extend outwardly from the outer surface of the vessel to facilitate their removal.

A circular gasket 22 is shown in FIG. 3 and is utilized to provide a seal between the plug 12 and the cylinder 10.

The embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 is identical to that of FIGS. 1-4 with the exception that the pins, and therefore their corresponding bores, are of a varying diameter. In particular, three pins 24 are shown by means of example, with the uppermost pin as viewed in FIGS. 5 and 6, being of a larger diameter, the middle pin being of an intermediate diameter, and the lower pin being of a smaller diameter.

It can be appreciated that the sizes of the pins and their relative spacing can be varied, in accordance with particular design considerations.

The embodiment of FIGS. 7-9 shows the principles of the previous embodiments when applied to a joint between two shell portions which together form a cylindrical vessel. Specifically, a pair of shell portions 30 and 32 are shown in a disassembled condition in FIG. 7 with their respective end portions having a plurality of spaced projections 34 and 36, respectively, extending around their circumference and outwardly therefrom. It can be appreciated that these projections 34 and 36 may be machined from a forged vessel and thereby be integral with their respective shell portions, or they may be attached in any known manner, such as by welding. The projections 34 and 36 are adapted to mesh when the shell portions 30 and 32 are brought into abutment as viewed in FIG. 8, to thus define a plurality of interfaces 38 between each paid of adjoining projections 34 and 36.

After the above assembly, a plurality of radially extending bores are formed along the interfaces 38 to accommodate a plurality of radially extending, smooth surfaced shear pins 40. An end of each of the pins 40 may extend upwardly from the outer surface of the projections 34 and 36, as viewed in FIG. 9.

It is emphasized that the pins in the embodiment of FIGS. 7-9 may vary in diameter along each interface, as in the embodiment of FIGS. and 6.

It can be appreciated that, in the event the vessel 10 and the shell portions 30 and 32 are constructed of a plurality of axially extending layers, as shown in the drawings, the radially extending plugs of the present invention distributes the load created by the internal pressure in the vessels evenly across the walls thereof and eliminates the need for heavy end forgings, or the like.

Also, the smooth surfaced shear pins are easily removable from their respective bores and thus enables the abutting components of the vessel to be quickly assembled and disassembled.

Of course, other variations of the specific construction and arrangement of the pressure vessel disclosed above can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A pressure vessel comprising a first cylindrical vessel portion having at least one open end, a second cylindrical vessel portion engaging said first vessel portion at said open end, a plurality of projections extending from each of said vessel portions, the projecting members of said first vessel portion engaging the projecting members of said second vessel portion to define a plurality of interfaces between the adjacent projecting portions, and at least one smooth surfaced shear pin disposed along each of said interfaces and extending radially with respect to said vessel.

2. The vessel of claim 1 wherein the projecting members of said first vessel portion mesh with the projecting members of said second vessel portion.

3. The vessel of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of shear pins disposed along each of said interfaces, each shear pin being of substantially the same diameter.

4. The vessel of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of shear pins disposed along each of said interfaces, the pins along each interface varying in diameter.

5. The vessel of claim 1 wherein an end of each of said shear pins extends outwardly from an outer surface defined by said projections.

6. The vessel of claim 1 wherein said first vessel portion is in the form of a hollow cylinder, and said second vessel portion is in the form of a closure for said cylinder.

7. The vessel of claim 1 wherein each of said vessel portions is in the form of a cylindrical shell.

8. A cylindrical pressure vessel comprising a first vessel portion having at least one open end, a second vessel portion engaging said first vessel portion at said open end, a plurality of projections extending from each of said vessel portions, the projecting members of said first vessel portion engaging the projecting members of said second vessel portion to define a plurality of interfaces between the adjacent projecting portions, and at least one radially extending shear pin disposed along each of said interfaces.

9. The vessel of claim 8 wherein the projecting members of said first vessel portion mesh with the projecting members of said second vessel portion.

10. The vessel of claim 8 wherein there are a plurality of shear pins disposed along each of said interfaces, each shear pin being of substantially the same diameter.

11. The vessel of claim 8 wherein there are a plurality of shear pins disposed along each of said interfaces, the pins along each interface varying in diameter.

12. The vessel of claim 8 wherein an end of each of said shear pins extends outwardly from an outer surface defined by said ro'ections.

118T e vessel of claim 8 wherein said first vessel portion is in the form of a hollow cylinder, and said second vessel portion is in the form of a closure for said cylinder.

14. The vessel of claim 8 wherein each of said vessel portions is in the form of a cylindrical shell. 

1. A pressure vessel comprising a first cylindrical vessel portion having at least one open end, a second cylindrical vessel portion engaging said first vessel portion at said open end, a plurality of projections extending from each of said vessel portions, the projecting members of said first vessel portion engaging the projecting members of said second vessel portion to define a plurality of interfaces between the adjacent projecting portions, and at least one smooth surfaced shear pin disposed along each of said interfaces and extending radially with respect to said vessel.
 2. The vessel of claim 1 wherein the projecting members of said first vessel portion mesh with the projecting members of said second vessel portion.
 3. The vessel of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of shear pins disposed along each of said interfaces, each shear pin being of substantially the same diameter.
 4. The vessel of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of shear pins disposed along each of said interfaces, the pins along each interface varying in diameter.
 5. The vessel of claim 1 wherein an end of each of said shear pins extends outwardly from an outer surface defined by said projections.
 6. The vessel of claim 1 wherein said first vessel portion is in the form of a hollow cylinder, and said second vessel portion is in the form of a closure for said cylinder.
 7. The vessel of claim 1 wherein each of said vessel portions is in the form of a cylindrical shell.
 8. A cylindrical pressure vessel comprising a first vessel portion having at least one open end, a second vessel portion engaging said first vessel portion at said open end, a plurality of projections extending from each of said vessel portions, the projecting members of said first vessel portion engaging the projecting members of said second vessel portion to define a plurality of interfaces between the adjacent projecting portions, and at least one radially extending shear pin disposed along each of said interfaces.
 9. The vessel of claim 8 wherein the projecting members of said first vessel portion mesh with the projecting members of said second vessel portion.
 10. The vessel of claim 8 wherein there are a plurality of shear pins disposed along each of said interfaces, each shear pin being of substantially the same diameter.
 11. The vessel of claim 8 wherein there are a plurality of shear pins disposed along each of said interfaces, the pins along each interface varying in diameter.
 12. The vessel of claim 8 wherein an end of each of said shear pins extends outwardly from an outer surface defined by said projections.
 13. The vessel of claim 8 wherein said first vessel portion is in the form of a hollow cylinder, and said second vessel portion is in the form of a closure for said cylinder.
 14. The vessel of claim 8 wherein each of said vessel portions is in the form of a cylindrical shell. 